From Krypton to Earth
by SuperheroLover22
Summary: AU. Krypton wasn't destroyed, there was no meteor shower and Kal-El grows up with Jor-El and Lara. Everything changes when his 18th birthday present is a One-Way Ticket to Earth. True love awaits but so does danger, suspicion and murder.
1. Kryptonopolis

**From Krypton to Earth: A Journey to Love**

_A/N: All the names of the Kryptonian cities in the story are ones that have been in the comics. And you may recognize some stuff from various other Superman incarnations. But I based this story mostly on the Smallville universe. Oh, and I'm operating under the assumption that any dialogue that takes place on Krypton is spoken in Kryptonese and anything on Earth is English. Hope that clarifies things later on. I've written a couple chapters already and I've got a rough plan of how the story goes – plus summer is coming so updates may be semi-frequent. Enjoy! Review if you want…_

**Prologue**

**Kryptonopolis, Krypton**

"Kal-El. It is the anniversary of your birth today. 18 anniversaries have passed and your father and I have cherished each and every year we've celebrated with you," Lara told her son, who had become a full-grown Kryptonian man.

"Thank you, Mother. I have appreciated your guidance in my journey toward my destiny. Father's as well."

"You know that you are all that we love in this world, Kal-El. You are our miracle child," she said as she placed her hand softly upon his cheek. He leaned into her touch, relishing the warmth of his mother's love.

They sat in their home, silence growing between them but not an uncomfortable one. Speech was only used on Krypton when necessary, they didn't have time for small-talk nor did they enjoy it. As they sat, Jor-El entered, his presence that of an older Kal-El with his hair beginning to gray. He wore his years of wisdom upon his face and the scars of battle.

It had been 19 years on Krypton since Jor-El had saved the planet from Zod's wrath and thirst for power. It had almost killed him but he knew that the people of Krypton, most notably his wife and son, needed him to defeat the man who was once his closest friend. And he did not emerge unscathed, both his face and his heart wore the wounds of war.

"Kal-El. Have you enjoyed this anniversary? I know that it is not something you have looked forward to since you learned your destiny."

"Father, I am grateful for the time I've had with you and mother. But I cannot say that I am overjoyed to be sent to another planet. My life is here as is all I know."

"Kal-El, my son. It is your destiny. Every Kryptonian must accept their destiny, no matter what it is."

"Yes, father. I understand that. I will be ready to leave when I must," Kal-El answered, his voice tinged with reluctance

"Must I remind you of my experience on Earth? When I had reached my 18th year, my own father sent me across the galaxies on a walkabout. There, I learned of the kindness that humans are capable of. They are a great people Kal-El, they wish to be, they only lack the light to show them the way. And that light is you."

"I will be ready father. When do I depart?"

"When the red sun rises next," Jor-El answered.

"Then I must say my goodbyes to Kara. Is she with Zor-El in Argo City?"

"I believe she is, Kal-El," Lara supplied. "I must warn you to be careful. Zor-El is not in the best of moods these days."

"I remember," Kal-El said, his features momentarily darkening as he recalled his uncle's outburst when he last stepped foot in their Argo City home. Shaking away the negative thoughts that ran through his mind, Kal-El embraced his mother and clasped hands with his father before stepping into the transporter. He clearly stated, "Argo City, Zor-El" before he was whisked away from his home in Kryptonopolis to the doorstep of his uncle. The transporter was still a fairly new invention that Kal-El had yet to get used to but it was much faster than his father's hover car.

Kal-El looked up at the grand structure and entered through the door hoping that this time his uncle would be less…well, less himself. The doorway recognized his biorhythms and announced his presence to the household.

In moments, Kal-El could hear Kara approaching. He caught a glimpse of her running down the hallway, a determined and scared look on her face as she approached him. He barely had time to open his mouth to speak, when he felt her hand grab his own and pull him from her home.

Once they had reached the outside air that blew gently through Argo City, Kara released her cousin and turned to him. Her previous emotions had disappeared from her features, to be replaced by a genuine smile as she hugged the younger Kryptonian.

"Kal-El, this is a pleasant surprise. What caused you to make the journey?"

"When the red sun rises next, I shall embark on my journey to Earth."

"So, soon?"

"Yes. I had to say good-bye to you before I left. I know that I should not have entered Zor-El's home without his permission again but I wanted my visit to be a surprise."

"It will be fine. Zor-El is not home at the moment."

"He is not present? Then why are we out in the cold?"

"It is Allura. She has been upset with Zor-El in recent days. It has taken a toll on her health and I sought to not disturb her with your presence."

"I don't believe you."

"Why not?"

"I saw the emotions that your face betrayed. You were scared."

"Kal-El. I am not afraid of anything."

"This I am aware of Kara. That does not explain why you lied to me."

"I wish I could tell you Kal-El but it is a worry for another time."

"Will you be there to see me off?"

"No. I doubt I will be able to. But if I ever make it to Earth, I will be determined to see my baby cousin fulfilling his Kryptonian destiny."

"Your words have comforted me Kara. I will miss you. I do hope that I will see you again but I believe that this is good-bye."

"Farewell, Kal-El," Kara said, her eyes full of tears. She embraced him once again before whispering in his ear, "I am proud of you, Kal-El. Never forget that."

Kal-El nodded and stepped onto the transporter pad of the Zor-Els. He stated, "Kryptonopolis, Jor-El" and was once again whisked away. Kara stared at the spot that had moments before contained her cousin and began to cry in earnest as realized she would never again see her favorite cousin, the one she had helped her Aunt Lara raise when Jor-El was busy in his laboratory. She would miss him.

The next day arrived and Kal-El had prepared himself mentally for his journey. Jor-El had taken the time to create a special portal for his son's trip to Earth. If all went well and his calculations were correct (they usually were) then Kal-El would arrive near the Kent Farm, provided that it still existed. Jor-El still remembered the help of Hiram Kent and knew that his son would be able to trust them to get settled in his new life.

As the time for Kal-El's departure approached Lara became increasingly emotionally. It was in harsh contrast to her usually stoic demeanor. But the moment was near at hand that she would say good-bye to her miracle son forever. While she knew that his destiny outweighed her own feelings, she could not help feeling reluctant to let him go. Her love would exist within him through all the days of his life but she would no longer be there to comfort him or to embrace him when his mission grew more difficult. It was an impossible task to let go of one's baby but Kal-El was now a man and he had to go. He had to. She had to let go.

Kal-El had barely spoken as he made his way to his father's laboratory. He had only packed some essential Kryptonian technology and what Earth clothing his father gave him (a plaid shirt and a pair of blue denim jeans, paired with work boots). When he dressed himself he found the fabric itchy and uncomfortable compared to the loose fabrics that he was accustomed to. But his father had warned him that he must fit in at all costs until he became acclimated to his new home.

"Father, is my transport prepared?"

"Yes, Kal-El. However before you leave us, you should refresh your memory of Earth's languages.

"I have studied for years. I am certain that I can communicate with all of the humans."

"Very well my son," Jor-El complied. He then embraced his son in a warm hug that was uncommon on Krypton. But Kal-El knew that this was a time to break tradition. As his father released him, he gathered his mother in his arms and hugged her just as warmly as his father had just hugged him.

"Goodbye my son, my little Kal-El," Lara called softly, through her tears.

Kal-El stepped over to the portal transport. For a moment he hesitated and turned to see his parents standing together, their sorrow and pride clearly etched into their slightly lined faces. Delaying his departure would help no one he decided, so he stepped into the archway of the portal and disappeared.

Lara held on tightly to her husband as she saw her son fade away and cried. Jor-El just stood there, knowing that though this was the last time he would see his son in the flesh, it would not be the last time they communicated. For this, he was grateful and thanked almighty Rao for the technology that would allow him.


	2. Smallville Kansas

**Smallville, Kansas**

"Jeez Chloe could you live any more in the middle of nowhere," Lois muttered under her breath. She was lost and she was reluctant to admit it, even to herself as she continued to search for her cousin's home. All she could see for miles around was corn, corn and more corn.

Lois Lane was still having trouble believing that she had ventured to Podunk at her cousin's request. But that was Lois, she was always willing to drop her own plans to be there for her family – and Chloe really needed her. She had gotten the call the day before where Chloe begged her to come out to Smallville. Chloe insisted that she had a good reason for dragging Lois away from New York – aside from seeing her favorite big cousin. But now that she was here, Lois had her reservations, especially since it had become dark and the road was almost pitch black out in the boondocks.

Lois drove aimlessly down the country road, hoping for a sign that something, anything would happen to let her know she wasn't in some creepy ghost town. As she formed that thought, she heard a loud grumble of thunder and was amazed as the sky darkened even more. Then a flash of lightning crossed the sky, brighter than any bolt Lois had seen before. Seconds later another bolt hit the road directly in front of her car. In an attempt to miss the fiery spark of electricity, Lois instinctively turned her wheel. She instantly regretted it as she found herself plowing into one of the many fields of corn. Pushing hard on the break, Lois waited for her car to come to a complete stop before she worried about anything else. Her SUV skidded to a halt and she took a moment to catch her breath. She hadn't realized that her heart beat had grown erratic and that she was almost completely terrified. If that wasn't enough another bolt of lightning hit right in front her parked car.

Several stalks of corn had been flattened and she could see some of the ears smoldering in their husks as she peered through her windshield. But that wasn't all she saw. She couldn't quite make it out but she could tell there was something else among the corn. Putting on her brave face, Lois gathered herself and got out of her car to investigate.

Slowly and cautiously, Lois edged around her car scared to find out what exactly she had seen. As the newly razed clearing came into view, Lois was shocked to see a man lying on the ground in a tattered plaid shirt and nothing else. She involuntarily gasped in shock and in doing so stirred the unconscious man. Slowly he began to stand, as if he were unsure of his legs and completely surprised to find himself in a field. Once he was upright, Lois had to keep from gasping and fight to keep her attention on his face. "Look at his face, Lois. Look at his face," she repeated in a whispered mantra.

The only thing was – looking at his face made her realize he was exceptionally gorgeous. He wore a stoic, if slightly confused, expression on his chiseled face, complete with high cheekbones, full lips and wide eyes that Lois could just barely distinguish as blue in the dim light emanating from her headlights.

"Hello," the man greeted as his eyes met Lois', "Do you happen to know where I could find the Kents?"

"Um, no. I don't I'm not exactly from around here. I was actually trying to find my cousin Chloe's house and…do you have any pants?"

He tilted his head like a confused puppy at the mention of pants and looked down. He thought it felt a bit breezy down there. But he wasn't uncomfortable – Kryptonian's did not share the same sense of shame that humans did.

"No, I suppose I don't. Do you have some that I could put on?"

Lois gave him a funny look before turning back to her car and grabbing a blanket out of the back. She handed it to him, mindful to keep her eyes up this time.

"You can wrap this around you for now. So, you know the…Kents, was it?"

"I don't know them. My father sent me here to see them," he explained.

"Right. Are you okay? I mean didn't you get hit by lightning or something?"

"I am fine."

"Good. Well, I'd offer you a ride," she said, pointing at her car, while keeping her eyes on him, "but I don't really think either of us knows where we're going."

"It's okay. I'll find my way. It was nice meeting you," he turned to walk away, the blanket falling away from him as he moved to walk through the corn.

"Hey, wait…um, what's your name again? Oh, it doesn't matter, don't forget your butt – I mean blanket," she called after him frantically.

He turned around and picked up the blanket, once again placing it around his waist. "Thank you, you are a kind human."

"Wait!" she called again as he tried to leave again. "My name's Lois. What's yours?"

"My friends call me Kal," he smiled. And there it was: the most devastatingly gorgeous smile Lois had ever set eyes on. If she wasn't careful she'd be falling head over heels. "Maybe I'll see you around…Lois," he finished, before actually walking away this time.

Lois sighed. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or sad to see the guy go. But she did know one thing for sure: Kal was hot.


	3. Kent Farm

**Kent Farm, Hickory Lane, Smallville, Kansas**

Jonathan Kent had just finished feeding the farm animals for the night and was exhausted from a long day's work. He was heading back inside from the barn to the farmhouse, where his wonderful wife was sure to be waiting with a nice home-cooked meal to fill him up. It was quiet on the old farm, just the way Jonathon liked it. The only sound he wished upon the inherited land was the laughter of a child, a child of his and Martha's very own. With a sigh, he continued on his way to the front door when he noticed a stranger standing at the end of the driveway, gazing up at the sign that read "Kent Farm". Jonathon walked towards the stanger, taking in his appearance – a tattered shirt, a red blanket wrapped around his waist and no shoes – hoping that this man wasn't here to start any trouble.

"Can I help you son?"

The young man's gaze moved from the sign to the famer's face before him.

"Are you Hiram Kent?" the stranger asked.

"No. He was my father. He passed away some time ago," Jonathon replied. He hestitated before adding, "Did you know my father?" Although he knew it was impossible as the man before him was far too young to have met Hiram, he wondered what the connection was that sent this obviously lost person to his door.

"No. My father met him once in his early years when he visited Smallville."

"Ah, okay. Well son, can I ask what exactly brought you here?"

"My father recalls to this day, the kindness father showed him when he was in trouble."

"Are you in some sort of trouble?" the older man asked warily.

"Not at the moment. Although I believe I could use a pair of pants. A woman I ran into informed me they were common here."

"Well, pants are pretty common most places."

"Not where I am from."

"And where is that exactly?"

Kal-El glanced quickly up at the sky before offering his hand in the Kryptonian gesture of greeting.

"I am Kal-El. You can call me Kal."

"Nice to meet you Kal. I'm Jonathon Kent," he said, grabbing Kal's hand and shaking it up and down, much to the confusion of Kal-El. Jonathon noticed the strange expression on Kal's face and wondered who this guy was, he had yet to really find anything out besides his odd name, the lack of pants wherever he was from and their fathers knew each other.

"So, besides pants do you need anything else?"

"I am not sure. My father didn't give me many instructions. He told me I should go to the Kent Farm once I arrived and to wait for a sign before carrying out my destiny."

"Destiny?"

"To be the savior of man-kind."

" 'Savior?' What are you Jesus?" Jonathon asked incredulously, not sure if he was hoping for an affirmation or a refusal. And if it was an affirmation he wasn't sure if he would believe it because this guy had yet to calm his belief that they guy before him was delusional.

"Jesus? I'm unfamiliar with that term. I don't recall coming across it in my training," Kal frowned.

"Jesus Christ. Son of good. Sent to save man-kind from themselves. Ringing any beels?"

"I'm too late to complete my destiny?" Kal asked, obviously dismayed. "When did this Jesus, save the world?"

"About 2000 years ago, give or take."

Jonathon could see that Kal was completely crushed at the prospect of being too late to 'save the world'. He decided it would be safest to change the subject.

"Kal, why don't you come inside. I'll grab you a pair of pants and we can see about getting you some help."

"Help?"

"Well, you're obviously suffering from delusions of grandeur."

"I am?" his voice gaining a hard edge that it had previously been missing.

Jonathon just nodded slowly, hoping he hadn't accidentally set off his strange driveway companion.

"I'll show you 'delusions of grandeur'" Kal-El muttered in Kryptonese, momentarily forgetting his promise to his parents to keep a low profile.

Without a word more, Kal disappeared from Jonathon's line of sight. He turned toward the house in confusion to see Kal standing 30 feet away holding the family tractor above his head with one hand.

"Maybe he isn't crazy," Jonathon thought as he watched Kal set a bale of hay on fire by staring at it and subsequently putting it out with his bare hands. "Maybe, I'm the crazy one."

"Can we keep him?"

"Martha, he's not an animal."

"I know but he seems so lost."

"What are we going to tell people? That we found him wondering around half-naked or that he's an alien from another planet?"

"We'll tell them that he's a long-lost nephew who lost his parents and that he's staying with us until he gets on his feet."

"You think they'd buy that?"

"Honey, this is Smallville. Now go tell him he'll be staying in the guest bedroom."

"But what'll we call him? Kal-El is a bit too 'foreign' if you catch my drift."

"I understand you perfectly dear. What about my maiden name?"

"Clark?"

"Yes. Clark Kent. It has a nice ring to it."

"Are you sure about this Martha?"

She nodded as she shooed him out of the kitchen into the living room where Kal-El was waiting. The two Kents had taken a quick reprieve to discuss their guest after he explained his origins and how he was able to do the things he did.

"_My power comes from your yellow sun. Also, I have a higher molecular density on this planet."_

That about explained all of it for Martha. Once he'd told them he meant them no harm she warmed right up to him. She was always for pet projects and Jonathon had a feeling that Kal-El was to be her latest one.

"Sorry about that son, we were just discussing what to do with you."

"I heard."

"You-you heard?" Jonathon spluttered.

"I didn't mean to listen in, it happened unconsciously. I am sorry for intruding on your private conversation. I just want you to know that I appreciate your hospitality Mr. Kent."

"You're welcome, Kal. Speaking of which, since you heard…I guess we'll be calling you Clark now if that's okay with you."

"It's perfectly fine. I believe it's time for me to retire. I've had a long journey across several galaxies and that can put strain on one's body."

"I'm sure. Martha will help you get settled in," Jonathon offered. He then added as the younger man began to climb the stairs behind Martha, "Welcome to the family Clark."


	4. The Talon

A/n: just a heads up, this chapter is a bit more serious…but just a bit. And thanks to those of you have left reviews. Enjoy this next chapter!

**The Talon**

It had been a month since Kal-El had arrived at the Kent Farm. The Kents took him under their wing and gave him a more Earthly name to go by. He'd spent most of the time helping out on the farm and assisting Martha with her various projects. He even learned how to cook some basic meals. But the one thing he hadn't done was venture off the farm. The Kents believed that he was afraid if he left then he would miss his father's sign. Finally, they decided it was time to go into town for a little oddly cohesive family outing. It took a bit of persuading but eventually the three Kents climbed in their pickup truck and went off to explore the cozy little hamlet dubbed Smallville.

The Kents enjoyed their pleasant ride through the countryside; past the vast quantities of corn stalks the town was famous for and into the downtown area. Martha suggested the trio stop at The Talon in the hopes that Clark could meet a few people his age.

The Talon was the only movie theatre within a 20 mile radius owned by the Langs, who were the Kents closest neighbors by a mile. They had transformed the lobby of the small business into a place cool enough to be the local hang out earlier that year. Clark was lucky that he'd get a chance to experience his first movie at the Talon as until very recently it had been closed to give the owners a chance to mourn.

A month and a half ago their only daughter, Lana, had been killed by a drunk driver. Many believed it to be an accident but Lana's best friend, Chloe, knew there was more to the story – she just didn't know what. Chloe spent weeks trying to get the police and the Langs to listen to her but it was to no avail. Finally, Chloe had to resort to calling in the big guns, her cousin Lois Lane. Chloe knew that Lois wouldn't stop until she got to the bottom of the mystery. Lois was a stickler for the truth and when she suspected deceit or corruption, she sniffed it out better than the most renowned bloodhounds. So, Chloe called on Lois to help solve her friend's murder. Over the past month they tirelessly worked, chasing lead after lead, always running into a stagnant dead end.

It seemed as though all their work was for naught until Chloe unearthed Lana's hidden journal. She didn't feel right prying into the private life of her deceased best friend, but Lois had no qualms as she was certain there would a clue within the bound leafs of paper that the victim had once scrawled upon. And she was right. They had stumbled upon something big – a secret boyfriend. Lana had been seeing some guy and no one had known, not even Chloe. In the journal, Lana never referred to him by name but the entries began to get more and more disturbing. In the last entry, which was dated two weeks before her death, she wrote that the man she was dating was "a crazy psychopathic jerk" and that "his plans won't pan out. I won't let him destroy it all."

All the information weighed heavily on the two girl's shoulders as they tried to find out what Lana could have been talking about. That's how they'd spent the last week. The two were sitting in the lobby of the Talon when they heard the door open. In walked the Kents, smiling and jovial as if they were the most normal family in the world. Lois' mouth dropped open.

"Chloe," Lois hissed across their table. She waited until her cousin had met her gaze before whispering, "That's the guy I told you about when I first got into town."

"That's 'Half Naked Plaid Guy'? Wow, Lo. He is hot. My eyes might fall out of my head from staring at him too long."

"Well, close your eyes cousin, he's mine."

"Yours? Haven't you only met that one time?"

"I gave him a blanket and some advice of decent dressing behavior. He obviously took my advice as he's wearing pants now…although I should probably have said something about the plaid," Lois said, her brow furrowed in mock contemplation.

Chloe let out a peal of laughter, catching the attention of the Kents. Clark turned his head toward the mirthful sound and was shocked to see:

"Lois," Clark stated with a smile.

The elder Kents exchanged curious glances wondering how their newly adopted alien had met the new girl in town.

"Clark do you know her?" Martha inquired

"We've met. Briefly," Clark answered with a coy smile that he'd picked up in his month on the farm. It was very un-Kryptonian but the farm brought out what he assumed was a dormant human side to him. A side that he liked.

"But you've been on the farm the whole time you've been on Earth," a bewildered Martha stated.

"Not the whole time," Clark told her. He paused before adding, "She let me borrow her blanket."

Jonathan's eyebrows shot up his forehead in surprise, while Martha suppressed a snigger. The joviality showed on their faces but from across the Talon, Lois only had eyes for Kal. Her gaze never left him as she asked her cousin,

"Who are the people he's with?"

"That's Jonathan and Martha Kent. They own a farm down on Hickory Lane."

"You know, he asked me if I knew where that was, the Kent Farm," Lois said, remembering their previous encounter as she spoke.

"I'm not surprised. He's their nephew from Minnesota, Clark Kent."

"How do you know that?"

"Small town," Chloe shrugged.

"Did you say his name was Clark?"

Chloe nodded.

"He told me it was Kal."

"Didn't you say he got struck by lightning?"

"I don't think he did. I mean I doubt he would have been able to stand if he had, let alone carry on a conversation."

"Maybe it's a nickname then."

"Why don't I find out?" Lois said with a wink. She stood up and strode purposefully toward the trio. As she approached, Martha silently told Jonathan to leave the kids alone and the two adults peeled off toward the ticket counter.

"Hey Kal, nice to see you again. Glad to see we're past the clothing optional stage."

Clark didn't blush as Lois gave him a lengthy look pausing at the brim of his pants before returning her eyes to the slightly amused face of her companion.

_Humans are quite interesting_, Kal-El thought, returning the same considerate glance upon and down her body, causing Lois' cheeks flush slightly. _She is definitely the most interesting of the few I have met so far. She is also beautiful. An added bonus._

The next few moments, a semi-awkward silence filled the space between the two. It unnerved Lois to the point that she had to break it.

"My cousin says your name is Clark," Lois said, trying to determine if he'd lied to her before.

"It is."

"You told me it's Kal," Lois tried again.

"It is."

"It – wait, what?"

"It's both," he smiled again at Lois' confusion before continuing, "Now, if you'll excuse me, my aunt and uncle are waiting for me. It was nice seeing you again Lois. I hope to see more of you. With that the tall, handsome, imposing figure walked away leaving a very perplexed brunette in his wake.

"Weird," Lois whispered as she made her way back to the table she was sharing with her cousin. Little did she know, Clark heard her and turned around at the sound of her voice. He smiled again before returning his attention to the Kents.

"So, what's the verdict? Is Kal a nickname?"

"No," Lois responded, shaking her head. "It's both."

"Both?"

"Yeah, that's what he said. It's both Clark and Kal," Lois replied. Thoughts swirled around her head as she tried to make heads or tails of the odd run-in with the half-naked guy who had been running through some of her more pleasant dreams for the past month. It took her a second before she remembered what she and Chloe were doing at the Talon. "I would love to solve the mystery that is Clark Kent or Kal or whatever. But we only have time for one mystery right now. Let's get back to work."

Chloe nodded her acquiescence and buried her nose back into her research. A few moments later, Lois finally bent her head, tearing her eyes from Clark's back and began rummaging through their files. Both cousins were unaware of the person watching them from the shadowed corner.


	5. The Torch

A/n: I'm finally really figuring out the direction of the story. I had an idea of where it was going but then an epiphany one night last week inspired me to change some things. I'll try and finish the next chapter really soon. So, without further ado, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy! Review if you want.

**The Torch**

Lois and Chloe were once again immersed in their research. This time they happened to be using the high school newspaper's archived databases of the Smallville Ledger, the Daily Planet and the Torch itself, to try and find a connection between Lana and the mysterious man she only referred to as X in her journal.

Being student body president has its advantages, Chloe thought vaguely as she finished yet another article written by her classmates. She was particularly thinking of how her position of power had persuaded the editor to let her borrow the keys. It wasn't, as she let Lois think, through persuasive argument and shameless flirting, but rather a threat to shut down the entire program if he didn't fork over the keys and keep his questions and curiosity to himself. She was rather ashamed at her callousness now but she had to remind herself that it was for a good cause and a dangerous one that she couldn't risk involving anyone else in, especially some wannabe journalist like Brendan Duncan. Instead she turned to the next best thing, who would have gotten involved without Chloe's help. During their tireless research through thousands of articles over the past month and that night especially, Chloe couldn't help but wish she were a bit more interested in journalism. She really had no interest in it at all. But her cousin had plenty enthusiasm for the subject to make up for Chloe's lack. Even though she was missing it right now in order to uncover the mystery of Lana's death, Lois was a first year journalism student at Metropolis University who had a real knack for investigation.

"What do you think 'X' could stand for?" Lois asked as she leaned away from the computer, rubbing her eyes sleepily and taking a sip from her cold cup of coffee, "Xavier? Xylophone?"

"Yes, I'm sure Lana was dating some guy with a name like Xylophone," Chloe replied sarcastically.

"Well, you never know little cousin. She did keep this guy a secret for all we know he could be-" Lois stopped mid-sentence, getting a far off look on her face.

"Lois, what is it?"

"What?" Lois asked, shaking away the stupor that had just consumed her. "Oh, I…I thought I, heard something in the hallway. I'm going to go check it out."

"Okay," Chloe conceded. She knew that Lois wasn't being completely honest with her but she decided it would be best to just trust her cousin for the moment. If there was something Lois felt she needed to keep to herself, it had to be for a reason.

Lois stood up and walked toward the door that the two had left slightly ajar and peeked down the hallway. Her eyes widened in surprise as they met sparkling bright blue eyes staring down at her.

"Clark!" Lois yelped in a strangled cry. "What are you doing here?"

"I was driving by and I saw the light on. It's not too often that you see a light on in a high school. On a weekend. In the middle of the night. So I thought I'd see what was going on."

"Really?" Lois asked skeptically.

"Yes. I wasn't expecting to see you here. Especially, as I understand it, you're in college. What are you doing at a high school?"

"Been checking up on me have you?" Lois deflected the question

"Well, you certainly are a fascinating subject."

Lois had to fight the urge to blush that had suddenly overwhelmed her.

"Lois, are you talking to someone?" Chloe called from inside the room, her voice getting closer. Before Lois could answer, Chloe was popping her head out of the door and staring at the broad figure that was Clark.

"Well, hello there," Chloe drawled, in a subtly seductive voice that caused Lois to 'subtly' elbow her cousin in an attempt to communicate a clear 'knock it off' without actually uttering the words. As Chloe, let out a soft groan of pain, Lois covered her actions with a smile toward Clark.

"Clark, this is my cousin Chloe. She goes to school here and I'm just helping her with an article that she's writing."

Chloe glanced up at the mention of her supposed article, wondering where on Earth her cousin was going with that one. She didn't have to wait long when Lois continued with, "It's an op-ed piece on how little local authorities actually do when it comes to solving murders."

"That sounds interesting. Are you going to back up that accusation with facts?"

"Definitely," Lois replied for Chloe. "That's what we're doing here actually. We're researching murders and murderers who got away with their crimes for far too long."

"Do you need any help?"

"Um…" Lois paused. She didn't think it would be a good idea to invite anyone else into their investigation, especially when they we're still unable to find any concrete evidence that Lana's 'accident' wasn't an accident. But then again, something about him made her feel like she could trust him, conflicting names aside. She glanced at Chloe, who seemed to believe that one more person couldn't hurt. They had barely gotten anywhere by just themselves, maybe this guy would be able to find something they couldn't. "Sure. Why don't you stay here and help Chloe go through some of the other articles we need to read.

"Where are you going?" Chloe asked.

"I need to run a quick errand. I'll be back soon. Try and catch Clark up on where we are," she hesitated for a moment before adding on, "with the _entire_ investigation."

Chloe nodded and then turned to Clark, the dreamy expression that had clouded her eyes when she first spotted him in the hallway completely dissipated, leaving a serious, determined face behind. She grabbed Clark's hand and led him over to the computer that Lois was vacating and sat him down. Lois, smiled at the pair, as she saw Chloe lean in to begin giving Clark the details of what they had found and what they were looking for. She then grabbed her purse and headed for the door, quietly resolving herself for the task that she faced in the coming hours.

Clark only looked away from Chloe when he saw Lois actually leaving from the corner of his eye. He watched her perfect figure close the door behind her and heard the large sigh that emanated from her lips. Frowning, slightly, Clark wondered if there was more to her leaving than just an errand but shook it off to turn his attention back to Chloe's description of what was going on.

Minutes later, the two had divided the remaining articles to be read and began to sift through them. Half an hour later, Clark was finished reading them all and had found no trace of anything that seemed like it would help in the search for a supposed murderer. He wasn't sure if he completely believed Chloe's theory that her best friend was killed but he could tell that she wouldn't be searching through years of boring articles if she wasn't 100 percent sure.

It was weird that he felt that he knew certain inhabitants of Smallville as if he had known them his entire life. Part of him, the illogical, emotional part of him that was often suppressed on Krypton, believed it was because these were people that were integral to his life that he was meant to know. Like, Chloe – he could tell that she was a person he could trust, with anything. He wasn't up sharing any secrets but he knew that if the time ever came he wouldn't be too reluctant to share them with her.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud ringing in his ears. It was an internal sound, the House of El beacon. Excusing himself to the bathroom, Clark stepped into the deserted hallway and removed his homing beacon from his pants pocket.

"Kal-El, my son. You have traveled far and are integrating well into Earth culture, I trust. It is with grave reluctance that I must inform you of the true reasons I sent you to Earth. There is a plot here on Krypton to overtake Earth and to create a New Krypton within the light of the yellow sun. I do not know who is responsible for this but you must stop them Kal-El. Keep your training in mind and a sharp eye on your surroundings. I am certain that there is a human in contact with the forces here on Krypton that look to dictate your new home. Your mother and I know that this is an almost impossible mission but we have faith in you. This is a part of your destiny. As is the love, your mother is sure you will find. Her empathetic abilities have shown her that you will not find love on Krypton and that your soul mate is there on Earth. I am so proud of you Kal-El. We both are. Remember us and the love we've raised you with. Good-bye my son. You carry the fate of a world in your hands."

The message ended and Clark had to blink for a few moments to readjust to his surroundings. His father's voice continued to play in his heads, snippets of his message swimming around in his subconscious. It took even longer for him to realize that Chloe was staring at him, with a curious look on her face. He wasn't sure how long she had been there or if she had been able to see the light that had surrounded him moments before. He got his answer when she finally spoke.

"What the hell just happened?"

While, he hadn't expected to share his origins with her so soon, he knew that putting it off we would be a bad idea. He wasn't too great at lying as it was uncommon on Krypton. Besides, he needed an ally aside from the Kents that would be able to help him the coming battle he knew was inevitable. Without speaking, Clark led her back inside the Torch and divulged everything about himself to her. The blond took it all in stride and a bit of confusion. She was not used to something so strange a bizarre happening in real life – she felt for a second like she was in a movie, only nobody told her they were filming and that she wouldn't be getting paid for her role. He let her sit in silence while she tried to grasp the information he had just relayed when her cell phone suddenly began to ring. Chloe jumped to answer it, welcoming the distraction from Kal's honesty. Her relief slid from her face and concern replaced it. She hung up the phone and looked up at her new friend and the man who entrusted her to be his confidant.

"We have to go, right now," she told him.

"Why?"

"Lois was just in a car accident. They've taken her to Smallville Medical Center."

"Let's go." Clark swept Chloe into his arms and sped off.


	6. Smallville Medical Center

A/n: Sorry for the delay. Writer's block, you know? Last chapter was full of…exposition. I wanted to make this chapter more fun but action-y too. Working on the next chapter as you read, hopefully it won't be too long before that's done. Enjoy!

**Smallville Medical Center**

Clark and Chloe arrived at the small town hospital seconds later. Chloe stumbled forward, unused to traveling so quickly. Nausea reared up and her head was spinning, it took all she had to balance herself and utter an appropriate, "Whoa"

Clark turned to face his companion, a sheepish look on his face, "I'm sorry. I should have warned you. That's the first time I've taken a human with me at that speed."

"Great," Chloe muttered. "Well, next time slow down. Motion sickness has nothing on that ride."

"I'll keep that in mind," Clark said with a small grin. "Now, where do you think Lois is?" As he asked the question his began to look from side to side, up and down, his eyes scrunched in concentration.

"Are you doing that x-ray thing?" Chloe whispered in awe.

Clark merely shook his head in affirmation. "She's on the second floor in room…215. Looks like she has a broken ankle."

"Okay, thanks for the advanced info, but I'm sure they would have told us all of that at the reception counter. You didn't _have_ to scope out my cousin with your eye thing," she told him with a knowing smirk.

"Are we allowed to go see her?"

"I am, since I'm family. But I'm sure I could get you in too," the knowing smirk still in place, as she dragged the Kryptonian toward the nurse's station.

Minutes later, Clark and Chloe were outfitted with visitor's passes and outside of Lois' hospital room.

"Are you sure it was okay telling the nurses I was her boyfriend?"

Chloe just shrugged as she opened the door to her cousin's room. She was shocked to see Lois standing up trying to gather her belongings, unaware that she had visitors or even that her hospital gown wasn't tied completely. Chloe cleared her throat, causing the frantic Lois to jump and turn to face them.

"Now Lois, shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Chloe!" Lois yelped with surprise. Her eyes moved to the hulking figure behind Chloe, "Clark! What are you, uh, doing here? I mean how'd you get here so fast?"

"I drove really fast. But that doesn't answer my question, what are you doing?"

"Okay, Chlo, this isn't what it looks like. I, well, I found another clue in the case and I…well, I didn't want you to get involved until I knew for sure…which, I do now…but I wasn't in a car accident, I was run off the road. And if I stay here, they'll find me so I need to go, right now," Lois ranted as she began pulling on her clothes, stumbling on her broken ankle. Clark quickly caught her before she hit the ground. He smiled at her and she returned it before remembering her state of undress. Lois fumbled to get back on her feet and away from the guy she knew as Clark. She mumbled a quick thanks before continuing her frantic attempt to clothe herself only to find herself once again in Clark's arms only this time it was due to an explosion that rattled the hospital and its inhabitants.

Clark set Lois upon her feet and skittered out into the hallway. Walking down the hallway toward Lois' room were two familiar looking people: Nam-Ek and Aethyr, members of General Zod's army. He was confused as to why they were present on Earth until he remembered his father's warning. His mind worked expediently to come to the conclusion that Zod was behind the attempt to take Earth over as a new Kryptonian colony. It made sense. Zod was a disillusioned soldier who no longer believed in the High Council and their policies. He had been tried and found guilty by the council for treason and was expected to be banished to the Phantom Zone in the near future. He must have escaped and knowing the twisted mind that inhabited the General, he would be hell bent on revenge. But what Clark couldn't figure out was why he would be seeking life on Earth if his revenge lay on Krypton or why his foot soldiers were at the hospital, unless…

"Kal-El," Aethyr greeted in a warm voice that didn't reach her eyes. "We've been searching for you. I presume you remember us from Zod's imprisonment?"

"How could I forget? You tried to kill my father and I," Kal replied, a steely edge in his voice.

"That was years ago. Have you not forgiven me?" she said with a twisted sneer.

"No. Now what are you doing here? You don't belong."

"Neither do you Kal-El," Nam-Ek said, speaking for the first time. "We're here to bring you home."

"I doubt that," Kal countered. "I believe that you are instead here as scouts for whatever sort of invasion Zod is planning."

"You know us too well. I guess that's what happens when you fail to kill someone. They think they know you better than anyone else because they've seen the murderous glint in your eyes," Aethyr said with a malicious sense of humor behind her words.

"The secret is out Aethyr. I believe that leaves us with only one course of action," Nam-Ek looked meaningfully at his partner. She smiled her evil smile and nodded. Then without much warning, they moved toward Kal in attack formation. Time slowed down and Kal watched as they edged closer, he could see the fire building behind Nam-Ek's eyes and the fist that Aethyr had raised. Knowing that he had little time, he quickly pulled the two of them out of the hospital and out into an abandoned field hoping to prevent injuries to the innocent civilians.

"Jor-El has taught you combatant skills since last we met. I think I may enjoy this fight even more," Aethyr taunted as she rose from the crater she landed in.

"You talk too much Aethyr," Kal said as he punched her in the jaw, sending her flying across the plains. Nam-Ek was ready though when Kal turned to hit him and finally got to hit the son of Jor-El with a blast of heat vision that knocked him back several feet. Kal knew that he had to protect the humans but fighting two super powered Kryptonians at the same time was going to be difficult. But he had no other option. He had to stick to his training, he had to remember everything Jor-El had taught him in preparation for this journey. Quickly rising to his feet, he pushed off from the ground and went straight toward Nam-Ek, landing a punch in his solar plexus. He then rained down a rapid fire torrent of punches to every piece of flesh that he could find on the male Kryptonian foe. However, he took his eyes off Aethyr too long and realized his mistake a fraction too late when she threw an uppercut that launched him several feet in the air. She bent to comfort Nam-Ek, or so Kal thought. He decided that it would be the most efficient if he went for her while she was distracted by her fallen comrade. He should have known it was a ruse, as she he sped toward her, she lifted herself from the ground and threw into the sky something Kal recognized at once – a portal to that Phantom Zone.

_So this was their plan?_ Kal thought. _Send me to the Phantom Zone to ensure that Zod would be able to easily take control of Earth? That's not going to happen._

As quickly as he had began to move toward his opponents, he switched directions, moving away from the portal. Aethyr seeing this cursed and tried to think of a way to lure him back to her trap. But it was to no avail as the portal began to move toward her and Nam-Ek. Seconds later, they were engulfed in the cold blue light being given off by the portal. Trapped in the window to Phantom Zone, they were sent spinning off into the parallel dimension that was meant for prisoners having failed to complete their mission.

Kal-El satisfied with a job well done, sped back toward the medical center his thoughts reeling over this recent encounter and wondering what was going to happen next. He was so consumed with his thoughts he didn't see the red-haired man staring at the impromptu battleground and at him as he disappeared in a gust of wind.


	7. The Talon again

**A/N: **I've always wondered exactly which of Chloe and Lois' parents are related to make them cousins so for this fic, I'm making Chloe's dad and Lois' mom brother and sister. Just so you know. Well enjoy this next chapter, it'll get a bit more plot heavy very soon. Especially if you're wondering about the Kryptonians from the previous chapter and the red haired man…

**The Talon (again)**

Chloe and Lois sat in their usual booth of The Talon, this time not surrounded with reams of files but instead just empty coffee cups. Chloe had forced Lois to take things easy since her foot was still healing, but Lois had been generally uncooperative, in more ways than one. In fact, since Lois had been released from the hospital, by the doctors and not by her own volition, Chloe had been unable to extract any information about what had her so spooked. But it wasn't in the Sullivan genes to give up.

"Lois, I'm not letting you off the hook that easily. What is this big clue that you've found?" Chloe pried.

"Chloe, can you just drop it? It's obviously enough to possibly get me killed. I don't want you involved too," Lois stated, with an intended air of protectiveness.

"Oh, really? Well, I'm the one who started this investigation. It's my friend who was killed. I know the risks. Now, tell me what the hell you know!"

"Fine. Okay cous, what I'm about to say will probably not register at first but I need you to hear me out."

"Okay," Chloe agreed eager to be out of the stalemate they were currently in.

"Lex Luthor. That's who X is."

"Lex Luthor, the billionaire?" Chloe scoffed in disbelief.

"Yes."

"Lana and Lex. That's crazy!"

Lois merely shrugged, apparently waiting for her cousin to finish her state of denial so they could get on to important matters.

"He's the world's most eligible bachelor, why would he be dating a girl from a small Kansas farming town."

"Who knows? That's not really our mission is it? We're trying to expose a killer. And Lex Luthor, he's our guy."

"But – I, he, isn't he a philanthropist?"

"He tries to put up that front but it's all a façade."

Chloe just nodded, trying to process the information that was coming her way. It was almost too much. The cogs whirring in her brain started to come alive once again however, as she thought of a very important question she had yet to ask.

"How did you discover the connection?"

"At first it was just a hunch. When we were trying to figure out who X was, my mind thought of the most outrageous person that it could possibly be and it happened to be Lex Luthor. Then, I started to think about all of the things I've been hearing from Metropolis' seedier inhabitants. I – what?" Chloe's quirked eyebrow interrupted her speech. It took a moment before realized what her cousin was questioning but once she did, she continued with, "I have a few informants down in Suicide Slums that I use for the occasional article. But that's not important, right now. They told me the Luthor's been getting into something big, something that even the government doesn't know about. I'm not sure how they found out but these are guys I can trust, if they tell me about I know it's the truth."

"Wow. Lois, that's…do you have any other proof that he was involved with Lana, other than your hunch?"

"Oh, right. My guys told me he'd been hanging around a brunette recently. She'd been seen entering the back entrances of whatever restaurant they'd eat at or when she went to see him at Luthorcorp. I must have made the connection subconsciously."

"But is that proof enough for us to start investigating this billionaire tycoon who seems to be a force for good in the world."

"Well, there is the fact that I was almost killed."

"Yeah, that's what's been bugging me, How could he have known you were onto him?"

"It may have had something to do with the phone call I made when I left 'The Torch'."

"Who'd you call?"

Lois smiled a devilish smile, "His personal secretary. I asked if Lex would be interested in a brunette escort for the evening to replace the one that he'd gotten rid of."

"You didn't," Chloe gasped.

"The person on the other end went away for a second and when they came back they told me to go to hell and hung up on me. A little afterward, I was hit by something and my car flew off the road."

"Wait, you were hit by 'something' not another car?"

" No, it wasn't another car. I'm not sure what it was."

"That's strange."

"Tell me about it."

There was a lull in conversation as two tried to collect their thoughts around the evening's revelations. Chloe was considering the possibility that one of the Kryptonians that had attacked the hospital had attacked Lois first and were coming back to finish the job. But then, that would mean that they were working for Luthor. And if that were true…well, Chloe had no idea. She'd have to talk to Kal about it later. As if she sensed that Chloe was thinking about the alien, hiding out on Earth as a farm boy, Lois broke the silence with a question:

"Have you spoken to Clark since that weird fiasco at the hospital?"

"Yeah. He went to go see what caused the explosion.

"What was it?"

"Somebody planted a bomb," Chloe lied.

"A bomb? Who plants a bomb in the hospital?"

"Probably some joker who thinks it's funny," Chloe shrugged.

"Weird." Lois said. Then with a hint of hesitation, she continued with her original topic of conversation, Clark. "You two seem to have grown pretty close the past few days." She observed, trying to keep the jealousy she felt from reaching her voice.

"Don't worry Lois. We're just friends. As I recall you said that he was yours. How is that going by the way?" Chloe teased.

Lois blushed slightly at her cousin's barb. Regaining her composure, she replied, "It'll be going great – as soon as I find out if he likes me."

"Oh, I think he like you Lois."

"You think so?" Lois gushed, inwardly chastising herself for behaving like a love struck teenager.

"I know so. He was pretty spooked after your accident. I had to talk him out of camping out outside of my house so he could keep an eye on you."

"Why'd you do that?" Lois pouted. "It could have given us some much needed alone time to develop our relationship further."

"Right, your 'relationship'. Well, I think that if relationship is defined as two people who have the hots for each other but are too dumb to anything about it, then yeah I'd say you too are definitely in a relationship."

"Whatever," was Lois' witty retort that was paired with an eye roll. "So, back to business. I think it's time we paid Mr. Billionaire a visit."

"Lois, he lives in Metropolis. That's a three hour drive!"

"No, little cousin it's actually much closer than you think. You see, he just moved into a mansion just 5 miles away from here. I'm sure he'll have some incriminating evidence conveniently lying around"

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go."


	8. Luthor Mansion

**A/N: **This was a hard chapter for me to write. I had to fit in a lot of exposition and most of this is just Lex's thoughts and musings on the past. Nevertheless, I am quite pleased with how the story is unfolding and I hope you like it too. Thanks for the reviews everyone, enjoy this next one. Hopefully Chapter, what is it now, 9? Will be up in the next few days, but don't count your chickens too soon.

**Luthor Mansion**

"I said that I wanted a complete security lockdown. How hard is it for you to follow such simple orders?"

"Sir, we're working on the problem right this instant."

"Good. Are my observational notes at least secure?"

"Yes, Mr. Luthor."

"Wonderful," the dashingly handsome, long haired, red-headed billionaire stated. "Now, I just have to wait for our future guests to contact me and to figure out a better way to deal with Lane and Sullivan. They're getting too close."

"Of course, sir," his aide agreed whole-heartedly.

"You can go now. I think it's time I enjoyed my new home."

As soon as the aide left, Lex walked over to a concealed door and input the proper codes to open it. Inside, he housed all of his information about his newest hobby: aliens. A year ago, Lex Luthor had tossed aside any theory of life on other planets claiming that they were rubbish. That was before six months ago when a piece of alien technology fell right into his lap. Literally.

The orb was fashioned by scientific minds that far surpassed the MENSA caliber scientists Lex Luthor had in his employ. None could quite decipher its mechanics nor the substances it was made of. He had found it while working with excavation sites in the Amazon rainforest. His scientists were searching for new species that could possibly be used to cure the most debilitating diseases known to man. Days of exploration yielded few prospects until, one hapless worker tripped on a rock and broke his ankle. Not wanting a lawsuit that would surely come even though it was clearly the worker's incompetence that got him injured, Lex went to personally make sure the man wouldn't see a dime from him. But when he got to the injured dolt, he saw what the man had tripped over. It wasn't a rock, at least not any rock he'd ever seen before. It was a small spherical object that glowed with a wan purple light as he neared it. Once he placed his hand on it, his mind was transported to a beautiful planet that was similar and dissimilar to Earth. The people looked just as the humans did on Earth but the animals were odd and the grass wasn't green. Just as he tried to give an earnest look at his surroundings, he felt himself being pulled away from the beauty and back to the Amazon.

Ever since he'd stumbled upon the orb, he'd tried to once again connect with it. He wanted to see the civilization once again, he wanted to observe. But he'd had no luck. His best scientists were stumped and so was he, until he met her.

At first glance, Lana Lang was a beautiful small town girl. That was all most people saw. Her friends knew her as kind and smart. Her parents knew her as gracious and good. Lex could see that she was calculating and devious. From the moment he saw her, he could tell the good girl appearance was just a front for a much darker, mysterious person. It was what instantly attracted him to her, that and she was gorgeous. The brunette rebuked his advances at first, when she was still believed that her ruse was in place but once she realized he had looked past the fluffy, pink princess exterior she portrayed, she was instantly smitten.

Once he'd brought her into his sphere, he really saw her ambition shine. She was much smarter than most people gave her credit for (who could blame them with her act?). After careful observation she had been able to uncover the mystery surrounding Lex's inner mind trip to a world unlike their own. She discovered that it linked to the mind of someone who was simultaneously feeling genuine anger, cunning and curiosity. It was the state of mind Lex had been in thanks to that inept employee of his. All it took was a fight between the two for the truth to finally dawn on her. Once she shared her theory with Lex, they instantly made up. It was the type of relationship they had. God how they loved the making up.

However, although Lex often felt angry, cunning and curious he had a hard time feeling them all at the same time. One day though, an accident at one of his many plants led him down the familiar path of emotions. Knowing that the time had come to finally travel once again to the foreign world, Lex quickly placed his hand on the orb that he had been carrying around for weeks in the hopes of getting to the perfect cocktail mix of emotional turmoil for the technology to function.

As his hands clasped around the purple metal shell, he felt his mind being pulled through time and space until he was seeing the odd world once again through a set of eyes. Lex quickly realized that the eyes were not his own.

"_Ah, back again?" the owner of his eyes questioned, in a deep male voice._

_Lex tried to look around to discern who the man was talking to but was unable to control the movements of the person he 'inhabited'._

"_You're wondering how you came to be here?"_

_Again Lex tried to find the subject of conversation but he was coming up blank._

"_You won't find the answers you're looking for inside of my head. You see, this is just a sort of mind meld, if you will. You are able to experience things as I see them. I called you here because you possess the perfect combination of ambition that I require. I can tell by your thoughts that you are seeking to save your world. I am trying to do the same for my own. I believe that we can be of great assistance to each other Lex Luthor."_

"_Who are you?" Lex's disembodied voice thought aloud._

"_My name is General Zod. From now on this channel will be open to you in order for us to effectively work together in our quests."_

"_How do I know I can trust you?"_

"_You can't. But I promise, that I will help you save your world if you help me save mine."_

"_What can you possibly do to help me? You must be light years away."_

"_Indeed I am. I exist in a distant galaxy from your own, but I know that Earth is a special place. It is like a sister planet across the cosmos to my home – Krypton."_

"_Alright, Zod. I'll try to do whatever I can to help you."_

"_I will contact you soon, with further instructions."_

"_How?"_

"_You'll know."_

"_Fine. I'll 'visit' with you again soon, General Zod."_

"_Excellent. Until next time Lex Luthor."_

It was an odd conversation that left Lex reeling. But over the past few months, with Lana's help, Lex had followed the instructions of Zod to help save their civilizations. While Lex was by no means naïve, he couldn't even comprehend what use the preparations he was making would do to help either race of people. Yet, he stayed quiet, secretly formulating a plan that would help protect Earth, if his new 'alien friend' tried to double-cross him and invade the Earth instead of help save it.

However, his contingency plan didn't go unnoticed by Lana. She astutely recognized the danger he was placing himself in by even thinking of a potential double-cross. Lana strongly believed that Zod would be true to his word and that he would never compromise the safety of humanity in order to fulfill his own shaded purposes. It was one of the first glimpses Lex got at both her naiveté and her wavering loyalty toward him.

He tightened his watch on her. She was becoming more distant. In fact, she was growing closer to Zod and finding herself falling in love with his beliefs. Lex had to put a stop to it. She was now a liability and in his life, he never left liabilities alive. Although she had proved to be a valuable asset, her helpfulness had run out. As much as he cared for her, he couldn't idly watch as she transferred her feelings so blindly to an outsider, an alien. So he took care of her. He easily fixed it so her death would be ruled an accident and he could wash his hands of the whole love affair.

What he didn't count on were the pesky cousins, who fashioned themselves the best sleuths in the world. He knew they weren't anywhere close to finding anything on him but the startling discovery that they had linked him with Lana was enough to send him into a reserved state of panic. Using his new bodyguards, advanced scout troops courtesy of Zod, Lex tried to scare the girls into submission. But, the break-in today proved that his only chance of removing the threat to his communications with life on other planets and all of his other secret plans, he needed to eliminate them permanently.

His thoughts had consumed him for some time. It had been hours since his aide had left him, he realized as he glanced at his Rolex watch. Although he sought to immediately begin his plans to scrub out Lane and Sullivan, permanently. He had more important matters to attend to.

His scheduled conference with Zod had finally come about. While he didn't look forward to informing the man that his scouts had failed in their mission, he did look forward to the fact that he held a pivotal piece of information that he believed would pique to General's interest. Especially, in this Kal-El he tried to have eliminated.

Suddenly, Lex felt his mind lurch and travel rapidly until it was once again staring out of Zod's eyes and right into a reflection in a mirror. It was the first time Lex saw the other man's face. It was neatly groomed with a mustache and beard goatee combination and his eyes were a cold, steely grey.

"Hello again, General Zod…" Lex began.


	9. Metropolis University

**Metropolis University**

_2 hours earlier_

"_Hey Clark, it's Chloe. Lois and I are doing some more research into lex Luthor. We were wondering if you'd be able to help out."_

"_Sure. Where are you?"_

"_Met U."_

"_What's Met U?"_

"_Oh, right of course. You're not from…around here. Metropolis University, it's just off Main Street in Metropolis. If you just follow the highway you'll find it. We're in Lois's dorm. Shuster 1938. It's right next to the Siegel building."_

"_Okay. I'll find it. When should I be there?"_

"_Sometime soon but…," she trailed off as she heard a knock at the door. "Wow, Clark that was fast. What were you in the neighborhood?" she asked pointedly, trying to let her new alien friend know that they weren't alone._

"_Oh, yeah. I was picking up some parts for the farm. We don't need them right away so I decided to head over and see how Lois was doing. I got a little lost but luckily I was outside of Shuster when you mentioned it."_

"_Well, good thing you're here Smallville," Lois chimed in as she appeared in the doorway, limping slightly on her foot. She grabbed his hand and led him to a large pile of documents. "We need as much help as we can get to go through all these."_

"_Smallville?" Clark questioned._

"_It just seems to fit you," Lois said with an appraising look, that turned to one of disgust as she took in his plaid shirt. "Now, no more stalling. Get to work."_

Present

"How could one company have so many invoices in just one year?" a tired Lois asked, as she rose to get more coffee.

"Where did you say you got these again?" Clark asked without looking up from his dwindling stack.

"A friend," Lois replied, in what she hoped was an innocent voice. Clark let the subject drop and continued to look for anything abnormal about the shipping manifests or memorandums sent out of Luthorcorp for the last quarter.

Chloe had since gone home but Clark offered to stay and finish going through the rest of the files. Another hour had passed and they were still coming up with nothing remarkably interesting. Lois was beginning to think her and Chloe's not so covert break in would yield no results and probably place them in the enemy's crosshairs. Chloe had been right before though, she couldn't give in to his threats, not when the truth was at stake. It would take more than a close call to stop her from pursuing the ever elusive truth revolving Chloe's friend's death. But the deathly boring sheets of paper that were sprawled all over her dorm room, were starting to drive her crazy and she just had to stop. Hopefully Clark would agree that it was time to take a break.

"We should take a break. All this reading is going to my brain. I can barely tell the letter 'z' from the letter 'd'."

"Okay," Clark agreed.

He stood up and stretched his long limbs, his muscles bulging underneath his plaid shirt. Lois tried hard but was unable to avert her eyes as he tried to loosen his tightened muscles. Before she could glance away, he saw her staring and smiled an endearing smile toward her. Sitting back down at the foot of her bed, Clark kept looking at her and smiling. The attention brought a slight blush to her face as she cleared her throat.

"So…what are you doing here?" Lois decided the best thing to do during their break would be to fill the silence with conversation, especially as she was feeling quite uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Here?" Kal gulped.

"Yeah, in Kansas. Chloe mentioned you weren't really from around here and I was wondering what could possibly bring you to Kansas."

"You don't like Kansas?"

"Well, it's no California or New York."

"Ah…well, I came because my father sent me here."

"Sent you?"

"Yes. He's a scientist back home, a pretty prominent one actually. But he also is deeply involved in politics, though he holds no official title."

"And that made him send you here?"

"He's convinced someone in the area is in contact with a very powerful person back home. He wants me to try and stop whatever is happening."

"And you can do that? What are you a secret agent or something?"

"Something like that," Clark smiled.

"Well, that's a great story and I'm sure you'll probably be able to fulfill your hero complex and 'save the day'. I have faith in you," she smiled back. "But that doesn't really seem like the whole story to me."

"What do you mean?" Clark asked, suddenly nervous. He still was unsure where this conversation was going. And he also was unsure exactly how to broach the subject of his extra-terrestrial background. He planned on telling her and soon, but something about the situation, he wasn't sure what, seemed to dictate that now wouldn't be the best time to reveal that sort of secret. No, he had another secret he'd rather get off his chest, a more important one.

"I just don't think your father ordering you to come stop some shady business deal would compel you to come all the way out to Podunk, Nowheresville."

"Isn't that what you did when Chloe asked for your help with the investigation? If I remember correctly, she didn't even tell you why you should come. You came because she asked."

"That's entirely different."

"Is it?"

"Ok, no…it isn't. But still, I feel like there was something else guiding your decision."

"You're right. There was."

"Really?"

"My mother made a very compelling argument."

"What, did she say she'd be extremely disappointed in you if you disobeyed your father?"

"No. Actually, my mother is fairly intuitive."

"And?"

"She told me I wouldn't find love if I remained at home."

"Ouch. She said that?"

"I believe it to be true."

"Why? Do you think you're incapable of love?"

"I never said that."

"Then I don't understand," Lois intimated, her confusion apparent. She wasn't sure how their conversation had gone from secret agents and science to a talk about love. It wasn't that she was completely uncomfortable with the subject, but she wasn't sure it was something she wanted to talk to him about. Especially as she was starting to realize that she was starting to feel more for him than she originally believed. When they first met, she though he was a hot guy who'd be fun to be around. But he'd proven to be loyal, caring, concerned and consistent. Lois wasn't used to having someone in her life who seemed like they genuinely appreciated her company, aside from Chloe. He was perfect. And as she sat listening to what compelled him to move here, she found that part of her didn't care where he was from or why he had come but she was just glad that he had. Otherwise she wouldn't have met him. But his mother saying he would never find love; that especially troubled her. She wanted to let him know that she was here and that she was willing to love him, if he loved her back. Yet, she kept her mouth closed and listened to his explanation of his mother's statement.

"She said I wouldn't find love at home. But she told me that coming here, I would find the woman I would need in my life, the one who would stand by me no matter what and who would love me more deeply than anything had ever been loved before, just like I would love her."

"Oh…well, have you found this mystery woman yet?" Lois felt slightly hopeful and waited with bated breath for his reply.

"I think that I have actually."

"Really?" Lois pressed, trying to keep a sudden spurt of jealousy out of her voice. "Does she know?"

"I don't think so. Not yet. I intend on helping her realize it though. I don't always carry my heart on my sleeve when it comes to my own emotions. It's uncommon where I come from."

"Where exactly is that?"

"Somewhere far, far away from here. A beautiful place really. I miss it a lot."

"When you finish your 'mission' will you go home?"

"I can't. This 'mission' isn't my only one. I'll be around for a long time. And hopefully, the person I'm falling for will be too."

"So, who is this enigma?"

"Don't you know already?"

"Oh god, its Chloe isn't it? I knew she was acting weird when you came in. I asked her to do one thing, 'stay away from Clark' and she couldn't even do that? What kind if cousin is she? I mean that would definitely explain–"

Lois' words were cut off as she felt Clark's lips mask her own. Caught off guard, Lois remained still as his lips gently explored her own. Her shock wore off soon enough however and she soon deepened the kiss, hoping to convey the feelings she had been steadily developing toward him since their incident in the cornfield. Emotion from both parties was evident in their gentle presses, followed by urgent passionate kisses. They were so immersed with one another they barely heard the blaring radio report that had interrupted the White Snake music that was playing in the background.

Fortunately they did. Clark pulled away first, his face flush and his blue eyes dark with emotion and desire. Lois' hair had been mussed in their make-out session and she was trying to fix it back to its previous state when she heard shouts coming from down the hall. Clark's expression changed quickly from one of desire to one of concern as the words of the radio announcers penetrated his ears:

"A meteor shower has appeared out of nowhere and is heading straight toward Smallville, Kansas….No impacts have been reported yet but the projected damage is devastating….I'm just learning that there appears to be something else falling from the sky with the meteors…. Preliminary reports say that they may indeed be spacecraft…"

Lois and Clark shared a worried glance before jumping to their feet. Lois concerned about Chloe and her uncle, Clark about the Kents and the rest of the Smallville population. He knew he was the only one who could save them.

Lois grabbed a jacket before saying, "Let's take my car."

"Lois, what about your foot?"

"My family is in danger. So is yours. You think I give a damn about my foot?" Clark shook his head, somewhat cowed by the brunette woman's fiery glare and determination. "Now, help me get to my car, Smallville." She paused before adding. "Let's go save the day."


	10. Highway From Metropolis to Smallville

A/N: So, I know it's been awhile since I've updated but I was having some issues about where the story was going and I also let summer cast me into a lethargic state. I wrote a whole chapter that I ended up deciding wasn't right for what I wanted, so I scrapped that and now…here we are. Hope you enjoy! Review if you want.

**Highway from Metropolis to Smallville**

"Lois, what are we doing?"

"Well, Smallville, I'm driving and you're in the passenger seat. I know you're not from around here but surely you have cars wherever you're from. Wait, you're not Amish are you?"

"No. At least, I don't think. Lois, I mean why exactly are we heading toward a disaster?"

"Why? You really are dense aren't you?" Lois asked, taking her eyes off the road for a second to glance at him. Upon seeing his confused expression she continued, "We're going back to Smallville because my cousin is there, so are your aunt and uncle."

"But surely there other people who can make sure their safe?"

"Not knocking local law enforcement or anything, but why put the lives of our loved ones in the hands of someone else. Now, man up Clark. We have to be brave, not just for ourselves but for them, okay?"

Clark glanced over at Lois and saw the doubt start to creep onto her face, she hid it quickly once it bubbled to the surface, but not quickly enough for him to miss it. He knew in his heart, even more than he had before, that Lois was the one. She was clearly terrified but still she drove towards danger in order to satisfy her need to know that Chloe was okay. It was also just enough to let him know that he couldn't let her go straight into the thick of it. The danger was unimaginable and how could he be certain she'd survived. The way Kal-El saw it, there were two choices in this situation. One, he could tell Lois about Krypton and all the powers he gained from the yellow sun, or he could take note from a Earth pop culture and do what a human would probably do in this situation: lie. He hoped that the lie he could come up with, would be enough to make her mad and make it easier for him to sneak away.

As they neared the Smallville city limits, a sudden idea came into his head.

"Lois, I've been thinking about what happened…earlier, you know? And I think that maybe we jumped the gun."

"Jumped the gun? So, what are you saying you don't actually like me?" Lois asked a hint of amusement in her voice. "You may not be from around here, but you certainly behave the same as all the guys I know. I thought, maybe for a second that you were different but hey, I've been wrong before. Why not this time?"

"Lois, wait…that's not what I meant. I—"

"You what?" she challenged.

"I—well, I just think that we should, explore other parts—"

"Parts? What are you talking about? You know what? Don't answer that. I don't have time for this," she said as she swerved the car off the highway and on to the side of the road. "Get out."

"Out?"

"Yes, out. I don't know whether or not you're scared, or if you're a jerk or just a pervert but right now, I have to go make sure my family is okay. I don't feel like arguing with you the whole way, so I repeat: get out."

Clark looked at her face and watched the tears that were threatening to fall, recede and a look of determination replace them. If he weren't so invulnerable on this planet, he would probably be scared. He was still a bit scared. So, he complied with her request and got out of the car. As soon as he shut his door, Lois sped off toward the small town, leaving him to stare after her, his mind full of confusion and his heart full of regret.

He couldn't figure out what had made him begin that conversation. No rational part of his mind could come up with an explanation. Part of him wondered if he had misinterpreted some of the lessons he had of Earth culture and jargon. Another part wanted to just run after Lois, catch up with her and tell her the truth. Just as he began to run, a large object fell from the sky stopping him, literally in his tracks. A pain began to course through his veins. It was like nothing he had ever before experienced. His blood began to boil…it felt like his heart had began to pump a thousand times faster, each pump creating more friction as the blood raced through arteries and veins. He was dying and the only person who could probably help him now was miles away by now. Unable to stay standing, Kal collapsed, writhing in pain as the meteorite continued to slowly drain his life from him.

Lois drove away without a glance back. She was furious. Not so much with him, but with herself for getting drawn in yet again by the mysterious boy. She thought she'd learned her lesson by now but no, she kept heading down the same path. It left her wondering if she'd ever find her way to a nice guy, unlike the others who genuinely cared for her and not to tick her name off a list of 'impossible babes'. She resigned herself to thinking that it was just what she deserved for feeling so much, so quickly and then dropped the subject from her mind: she more important things to worry about.

A sign off to the side of the road let her know that Smallville was just 5 miles away. Lois hoped that was enough time to get to Chloe before anything happened to her. Part of her knew that it was risky charging head first into a meteor shower but Chloe was her closest family member. She barely talked to the General or Lucy and Chloe was the only person she'd drop everything for, with no argument and no questions, hence her current predicament.

Her thinking was interrupted as she saw a meteor miles ahead of her crash. It had begun. Now she was wishing she hadn't left Clark back there. What if he got hurt? It's not as he joined their little investigation group because of her. Plus, he was Chloe's friend. She couldn't just abandon him, no matter how much a jerk he was. Also, he said the reason he was here was to stop a bad man…and that had to be Lex. His help had been sincere, she just had to ruin it by falling in lo—in deep like with him. Having made up her mind to go back and get him, Lois made to swing the car around when something much larger than a meteor flew right over the roof of her car and crashed into the field beside her. A quick maneuver led her in the opposite direction toward the crash site.

When she'd heard the news earlier, she'd discounted the reporter's talk of spaceships as nonsense. Now she wasn't so sure. Especially as there was one right in front of her. Parking the car, Lois climbed out of the car and warily made her way toward the spacecraft.

_Pfft_

The sudden noise made Lois jump. It took a second for her to realize that it was the ship opening. She crept closer, her entire body on guard, her senses heightened due to the adrenaline pumping through her veins. As the dust in the air cleared and Lois was able to make out a definite outline, she saw someone emerge before collapsing suddenly.

Lois rushed forward hoping that there weren't more aliens waiting to attack her. She was surprised to see that what had collapsed didn't look like an alien, in fact…it looked like a normal human girl with blonde hair. She made her way over to the girl and checked to see if she was breathing. It looked as if the girl was conscious but only barely.

That's when she saw the rocks.

There was an odd green glow about them. They unsettled her and it seemed as if they had an effect on the collapsed girl. Taking a chance that the blonde was trustworthy, Lois grabbed her arms and began to pull her toward her car. Lois looked up once she'd made it 15 feet away and noticed that the glow of the rocks had disappeared. She looked down to see the blonde staring up at her. Lois let her go and quickly backed away.

The girl, who was actually much older than Lois, stood up and brushed the dirt from the robes she was wearing. On the front there was a diamond with an 'S' in the middle and the material had a flow to it that Lois had never encountered before. The blonde smiled at Lois and said,

"Thank you for saving my life."

"You're welcome, I think. I'm Lois. Lois Lane. And you, you're not from here are you?"

"No, I come from a planet called Krypton. Until recently it was a wonderful place to live. A society full of science where we worshiped the god Rao."

"What happened?"

"It was destroyed. A military general named Zod, decided that Kryptonians deserved to live in a place where they had true power. So, he took those he counted most loyal, my father among them and sent us to Earth, where the yellow sun gives us powers beyond those of mortal man. And he caused the planet to implode as we left, killing millions of Kryptonians in the process. My aunt and uncle among them."

"So, you're with this Zod character."

"No, I do not agree with his ideals. I believe him to be an evil despot, however I was sent her because he needed my father and my father would only come if he saved me as well."

"I'm sorry about your home. And your aunt and uncle."

"Thank you, Lois. You are very kind."

"What will you do now? Is there any way to stop this Zod guy?"

"Not that I know of, there is no substance on Earth that can harm our race when we are in the light of the yellow sun. I may be able to formulate a plan to help save the human race. However, I need Kal-El in order to do that. Has he become the savior of your world yet?

"Kal-El? You mean, Kal – I mean Clark? How do you know him?"

"He's my cousin."


	11. Outskirts of Smallville

**Outskirts of Smallville**

"Clark. Clark Kent is your cousin? He's from a different planet?"

"I don't know who this Clark is, that you speak of."

"Kal-El, that's what he told us to call him. He said his name was Clark."

"You have met him?"

"Yeah, I have actually, um…what did you say your name was?"

"I have not told you. Forgive me. My name is Kara Zor-El."

"Okay, Kara…so you're saying Kal-El is your cousin, you're both from a different planet, there's a power mad dude here with superpowers and there's no way to stop him?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Wow. This is…wow. So, what powers do you have?"

"My uncle Jor-El told me once that the yellow sun would give Kryptonians the ability to fly, x-ray vision, heat vision, imperviousness, great strength, enhanced hearing and sight, and an icy breath."

"That's a lot of abilities."

"The sun charges our cells. It is as if we are solar batteries, I believe would be a proper analogy."

"What about those meteorites?"

"I'm not sure. I felt pain when I was near them."

"Do you think those could possibly stop Zod?"

"They may. But first we must find Kal-El and then we can worry about Zod's army."

"Well, I think might have an idea of where we might find Clark. Sorry, I mean Kal-El."

"Then, please lead the way."

"Oh, crap. I can't. I'm supposed to be looking for my cousin. She's in the town where your countrymen are landing. I've got to make sure she's alright."

"Lois. I will help you find your cousin, if you help me find mine first. You have my word."

Lois reluctantly agreed. It would be nice to have a super-powered friend on her side, even if there were hundreds more like her on the other side.

"We'll take my car."

Kal-El was beginning to lose consciousness, when he heard the crunch of tires pulling over the gravel that lined the side of the roads. He heard his Earth name being called by a familiar voice but he was too weak to answer.

"Clark!"

He heard footsteps coming closer, the pace increased as if they were running. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Clark. Clark? What's wrong?"

"The meteorite. It's hurting me."

The hand left his shoulder and seconds later the pain stopped. He stood up, a renewed sense of energy coursing through him as he drank in the sun's rays. He turned to look at his savior and saw that it was:

"Chloe? What are you doing here?"

"After I left Met U, I hung around in Metropolis for awhile. I was trying to get information out of a few sources when I heard the news reports. Why are you on the side of the road?"

"Lois left me here."

"Lois? What did you do?"

"I was unsure of how to express the truth, so I concealed it."

"You mean you lied. To Lois."

"Yes," he replied ashamedly.

"Where is she now?"

"In Smallville. Looking for you."

"Wait, so you just let her go straight into a meteor shower?"

"There's no way I could have stopped her."

"You're a super-powered alien! Of course you could have stopped her."

"Frankly, she scares me a little bit. Have you ever seen her when she's angry?"

"You're right about that. But that doesn't explain why you let her go to Smallville."

"She was adamant about saving you. I didn't want to interfere. You are her family."

"But Clark, she—," Chloe was cut off midsentence as they heard a second car pull up behind them and Clark held up a hand to silence her.

They turned around to see Lois emerging from her car. But unlike when she drove off almost half an hour earlier, she wasn't alone. There was a blonde woman with her that Kal-El immediately recognized as his older cousin.

"Kara?"

Chloe gave him a puzzled look, "Kara?"

"My cousin. Kara Zor-El."

"Cousin, as in cousin from another planet, cousin?"

"Yes. I don't understand why she is here. Or why she is with Lois."

"Let's go find out."

The Kryptonian man and Earth woman made their way over to the other alien/human pair. The man arriving first pulling his cousin into his arms with a great big bear hug.

"Kara! I thought I'd never see you again. What are you doing here?"

"Kal-El. It brings me joy to see you too. It saddens me that I have arrived on Earth in such circumstances."

"Do you mean you've been sent here? By who? Your parents? My parents? Are my parents here?"

Tears filled Kara's eyes as she replied, "No your parents are not here. They were killed when Krypton exploded."

"Krypton…exploded? How? My father stabilized the core many years ago."

"Zod."

"I should have known," Kal-El replied, clenching his fists. His blood began to boil again, but this time not from the pain of the meteorite. No he was angry. Sensing his anger, Lois moved forward. Although she was still mad at him, for both what he said in the car and not telling her that he was an alien, right now what he needed was to be comforted. His rage couldn't get the best of him, especially considering the possible no-win scenario the Earth was now facing. She reached him and touched his hand lightly, before enveloping it with both of hers. He looked down at her, his irises burning red in anger. It didn't cause her to back off; instead she just held his hand and looked into his eyes, waiting for him to see her and not his grief. Their staring match lasted for quite awhile before his eye returned to the cool shade of blue that she thought so mesmerizing. And seconds later, tears began to pool at the corners of those eyes before they fell. She let go of his hands and wrapped her arms around him, silently communicating that it was okay for him to let out his sadness.

As they watched, Lois and Clark's exchange, Chloe silently introduced herself to Kara. She explained that Clark had told her everything about Krypton and that she was sad to hear of its demise. Kara accepted her condolences with gratitude but didn't continue the conversation. She was much too intrigued by the exchange between her cousin and Lois. While she knew this was not a happy moment, she could still see that Lois made Kal-El happier than she had ever seen him on Krypton.

"Um…I know this probably isn't the best time…but uh, who is Zod?" Chloe interjected.

The spell surrounding Lois and Clark suddenly broke and Lois stepped away from him, remembering her previous anger. Her brow furrowed and it was her turn for her eyes to glow a figurative red. In fact that's all she could see.

"How could you not tell me?" she yelled

"Lois, I'm sorry…I wasn't sure how you would react," Clark tried to explain.

"How I would react? To my friend…no, the guy I like, to being an alien? You weren't sure how I'd react?"

"No."

"Oh, well, I've accepted it with open arms. In fact, I think it's awesome. But what's not awesome is that you lied to me. Right to my face,"

"I'm sorry. I should have told you. Chloe said that…"

"Chloe? Chloe knows? You told Chloe?"

"I had to. She witnessed me talking to my father."

"She…what?"

"I received a message from my father, his name is Jor-El –"

"I know what his name is, _Kal-El_,"

"But how could…" Clark looked over and sees his cousin standing next to Chloe. "Oh, Kara. Right."

"Hey guys, I hate to interrupt this heart-to-heart or whatever, but I still don't know who Zod is and I feel like it could be important," Chloe interrupted.

"Sorry, Chloe. You're right, there are much more important things going on here. Now, Smallville do you care to explain who Zod is or should someone else field this one. I mean you've already lied once, who knows if you'll lie now."

"Lois, that's enough. He lied. He's sorry. He'll apologize later," Chloe scolded. "Now, Clark, tell me: who is Zod?"

"Zod is the one person you'd never want on the opposing team. He's power-hungry and he's ruthless. He'll do anything to get what he wants. And I imagine what he wants is Earth," Clark began to explain.

"That is exactly what he desires. Zod destroyed Krypton so he could create a new Krypton here on Earth," Kara interjected.

"But why would he want to do that? Why couldn't he just try and grab power on your planet?" Lois asked.

"My father. He was the one person who could keep Zod in check. I believe he may have taken his eyes of his old friend for too long and now he is dead," Clark replied.

"His old friend? Your father and Zod used to share a sandbox?" Lois asked incredulously.

"I'm not familiar with that phrase but yes, they were friends. Right until Zod betrayed my father and got him wrongly sentenced to the Phantom Zone."

"What's a phantom zone?" Lois asked.

"It's an intergalactic prison for the most dangerous criminals in the universe. It's where Zod belongs but he's been able to hide behind his military title up until now."

"Is there any way we can stop him?" Chloe inquired.

"If it were just him, maybe we, Kara and I, could…but I don't think he came alone."

"He didn't. He brought an entire army with him. He brought my father with him for his science. My mom and I were lucky to be brought along. But my father insisted."

"That's the nicest thing Zor-El's done in a long time."

"Don't be so critical Kal-El. He's just been bad tempered since your father escaped from the Zone."

"That was years ago."

"He holds grudges."

"Well, I don't know about all of you. But I think I have a plan for handling Zod and his whole army," Lois piped up.

"What?" the other three exclaimed.

"You can't be the daughter of a four star general without picking up a few tips. And I think I have the perfect plan. All we need is an army of our own to execute."

Kal-El glanced at Lois with appreciation filled eyes.

"What is your plan?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. But first we have to figure out where he's going to be gathering his troops."

"That's easy," Clark and Chloe said at the same time.

"Oh, yeah?"

"He's working with Lex."


	12. Zod's Mansion

A/N: I'm sorry for such a long hiatus, I can't even remember the last time I updated this story. I really hope to finish it soon but for those of you who've asked for an update I didn't want to keep you waiting for much longer. I'm taking a break from all the reporting I need to do for class just to finish this story. Hope you enjoy it!

**Luthor Mansion**

"General Zod. It's good to finally meet you in the flesh," Lex greeted the alien with his hand extended outward.

Zod looks disdainfully at Lex's hand and continues past him into the library/office area. Zod's eyes dart back and forth, looking for possible concealed weapons or attempts at treachery. Finding none that could affect the foreseeable future, he turns back to Lex and smiles a tight-lipped, unemotional smile.

"Mr. Luthor. It is my pleasure to be in your company on this wonderful planet of yours."

"Wonderful. Right. Now, General where are the rest of your troops?"

"Around."

"Right. Well, can I get anything for you? Miss Mercer is quite capable of handling all your needs."

"What I need right now, is some time to plan some basic strategies for taking over this mudball. Excuse me, this wonderful mudball."

"Of course. Take your time," Lex responded with a wide not so genuine smile. He backed away from the Kryptonian before turning around and exiting the doors, making sure that Zod couldn't see him roll his eyes.

Once outside the library, Lex walked along the hall down to the kitchens, lost in thought. It was hard to believe that the day had finally arrived. After all the planning and effort he put into helping the Kryptonians with their invasion of Earth, Lex couldn't help but feel a strange emotion that he couldn't identify. With his attention diverted to his thoughts, he barely registered his executive assistant, Tess Mercer, standing in front of him until she called:

"Mr. Luthor."

"What is it Tess?" Lex asked in response

"I was wondering if you're sure this is a wise plan. The al-" Tess began before she realized Lex was shushing her. He looked at her intensely. She looked back with a confused expression. Lex then began to sign something in sign language. It took a moment for Tess to decipher his message that the Kryptonians could hear anything they were saying. Tess responded with a question Lex dreaded answering: What if they turn on you?

Lex knew his contingency plan was apt to fail. He knew nothing of his new "friends" alien physiology. He didn't know if they had any weaknesses and what exactly they were capable of. But he hoped he'd find a way. The plan to help aliens invade the Earth was risky but his thirst for power and complete control of the world influenced his decision. Yet know that it was finally here, Lex realized how much he underestimated his comrades. Tess pulled Lex out of his reverie by asking him, out loud:

"Is there anything else you need, Mr. Luthor? I believe I should attend to our guests now."

Tess gave Lex a look that easily conveyed her skepticism with the whole alien clan using the mansion as their headquarters and her concern for her boss. She then walked away, leaving Lex to continue his silent contemplation of how badly things might turn out.

Soon, without his realizing it, Lex was in his garage sitting in one of his many expensive cars. Lex decided the best thing to do was take a drive through town. Maybe seeing Smallville would help ease his discomfort with General Zod.

However, he felt worse once he turned onto the main street. Numerous buildings had been destroyed. Cars were overturned. Fires burned. People lay dead in the streets. The ones that were alive, were hiding as best they could inside the undamaged buildings. And at the end of the street, a blockade of Kryptonian soldiers sat watching the humans cower in fear.

**Outskirts of Smallville**

"Lex," Lois stated matter-of-factly. "Huh. Makes total sense."

"What are we going to do? What is your plan, Lois?" Kara asked.

"Well, remember when you fell out of the sky? I'm pretty sure those meteors that came with you could work on Zod too," Lois explained. "And if we, meaning Chloe and me and whoever else we can find, collect enough of them we may be able to use them as weapons."

"That's a great plan Lois. But Kara and I can't get near the rocks. And you and Chloe aren't nearly enough of an Army to take down Zod by yourself."

"Smallville, try and pay attention. We're going to take all the rocks we can get up to the Army base at Fort Ryan. I'm sure they're already gearing up to try and face these space invaders, no offense to you and your cousin."

"What will Kal and I do during your mission?"

"You are going to Luthor Mansion. We'll need to lure Zod into battle once we're ready. We need you too to be diplomatic. Try and work out an agreement with him."

"Zod is a soldier. He does not listen to reason."

"Well, then. Just stall."

"Stall?" The two aliens asked simultaneously.

"Yes, Wonder Twins. Stall. Stalling does exist on your planet, right?"

"She means distract him," Chloe clarified, rolling her eyes at her older cousin.

"How should we do that?" Kal asked.

"However you want," Lois replied. "We need at least an hour to get everything ready, I think. I'm going to call my contacts at Ft. Ryan. You two ETs come up with a plan for keeping your maniac hell bent on world domination busy."

"Our maniac?" Kara asked.

"Yeah, yours. Lex is ours. Zod is yours. We're going to stop them both. Now put your heads together and come up with a plan," Lois told the taller blonde as she flipped open her phone and began making a call.

As soon as Lois was out of earshot, Kal asked Chloe, "Do you have a plan?"

"Actually, I think I just might," Chloe replied, with a hint of deviousness.

Lois returned minutes later, with a forced smile, and declared, "Alright, everything's all set. Chloe we're going into town to meet up with some troops from the National Guard that are already in place and lay out the plan. You two. Get flying, or whatever it is you do, and keep them busy. Okay?"

Kara nodded. Clark gave Chloe one last look, and she returned it with one of encouragement. Clark, then nodded too.

"Right. Good luck. Chloe, Lois," Clark said and as he pronounced the 's' in Lois' name he disappeared in thin air, Kara following suit.

Lois stood for a moment, stunned at what she'd just witnessed. Then realizing the stake of the world hinged on her plan, she shook herself out of her stupor and grabbed her cousin's arm.

"Come on Chlo, you're driving."

**Streets of Smallville**

Lex shifted his Porsche into second gear as he sped down Route 40 over Loeb Bridge. His mind was racing with possibilities. But most prominent was the fear that began to overtake him. This was his fault. His ambition and search for an outside world, a place to fit in. And now, well now he had to find a way to fix it.

As he drove into the town of Smallville, all he could see was the utter devastation of the "Creamed Corn Capital of the World." Buildings lay crumbled, fires burst forth from each and every way. Tears stained faces and screams filled the air. Terror was everywhere, on every face. And was all his fault. He had been manipulated – by someone he didn't fully understand and these people were paying the price. He pulled his car over and got out. Maybe walking here among this tragic scene can inspire some ideas on how to defeat Zod, he thought to himself.

He walked along, seeing the crippled community trying its best to keep going. His eyes scanned the rubble, clutching to the fleeting hope that he could find his redemption. And he did. At the end of the road were a short blonde woman and a taller brunette – both of whom he recognized. The determined look on the brunette's face that he could see from where he was increased the flickering candle of hope within him. Now, he just needed them to trust him and whatever plan that clever Lois Lane had, he would help it come to fruition – even if he cost him his life. Because as he'd already decided this was his fault – and he needed to clean it up.


	13. End of Things

A/N: So, I'd planned for this story to go on for a few more chapters but I decided to wrap it up in one. There's still a short epilogue to come, which I wrote a long time ago. And beware, there may be factual inconsistencies in this chapter in regards to the universe of this story. It's been so long since I've written it I don't quite remember what I've written before. But I hope you enjoy this final chapter and the epilogue, to be posted very soon!

**Luthor Mansion**

"General, we've located the defectors. They're on their way here," Faora reported.

The dark eyed Kryptonian smiled.

"Good, prepare the troops. But hold off on an attack. I want to speak to my godson and his cousin first. See, if they won't come around to my way of thinking."

It had been simple for Zod to discover Kal-El's presence on earth and his true purpose. It had been a long time since he'd seen the young Kryptionian. Ever since his falling out with Jor-el, Zod had kept his distance but kept tabs on him. Kara's defection was a surprise, but not by much. He knew she'd remain loyal to Kal-el if presented with the opportunity. Now it was his turn to have a surprise waiting.

**Sky above Smallville**

Kara had coaxed Kal-El into the sky. He hadn't known flying was one of his abilities but he took to it naturally and after a few moments of sheer terror, he adjusted and they continued to fly toward the Luthor mansion.

"Are you sure this is the best plan? Zod has gotten far more power hungry since you last conversed with him," Kara stated.

"True. But I have to hope he will listen to reason. Besides we need to get to Lex first and find out what he knows."

"I agree. But what if he is not at the mansion? What if we are flying into a trap?"

"Then we have a backup plan."

Kara sighed. She nodded and continued to fly. Her thoughts now on the two Earth girls who they'd entrusted to help fight off their own people. As much as she loved Krypton, Earth didn't deserve to be taken over by them. The people of Earth needed to find their own way, just as Krypton had.

**Downtown Smallville**

Chloe drove the car slowly down Main Street. The devastation was unfathomable. The blond and her cousin could see people hiding away in the rubble, pairs of eyes peeking out, wide with pure terror. Lois choked back a sob. She wasn't going to cry. She had a mission. She needed to save Earth. She needed to save Smallville - in more ways than one. Chloe chanced a glance at her cousin, her own eyes were threatening to spill tears down her face. They locked eyes and nodded in agreement. They would stamp down their emotions for the time being and fix things. There was no time for crying. This was the World Series, and instead of the pennant being on the line, the fate of the world was. And the Kryptonians were up 3 games to 1. The only trick they held up their sleeves were the green meteorites.

Chloe continued to creep down the street, when they spotted a shiny, expensive looking, silver car, headed towards them. A grimace fell on Chloe's face as she recognized the car and its owner. She immediately came to a stop, put the car in park, and jumped out. She started toward the car, her eyes staring daggers at the bald man. Her finger lifted in an accusatory way, when he stopped his own car, emerged and held up a piece of paper. The odd gesture stopped Chloe in her tracks. It was unlike Lex to not try and say anything immediately. He may have been a contemplative person but he was often quite the chatterbox, especially when it had to do with some ancient philosopher or something that no one cared about aside from him.

She hesitated before grabbing the paper from his hand and backing away slightly. Lois has also gotten out of the car. She sidled up beside Chloe, her curiosity reining her in from exploding at Lex. The note read:

Be careful. They can hear us. Can't give away our position. Do you know sign language?

Chloe shook her head. But Lois nodded immediately. Chloe threw her a look of mixed surprised and awe. Lois just shrugged. She began conversing with Lex.

"_Why should we trust you? You're the one that brought them here."_

"_You know about that?"_ He asks, eyes wide.

Lois gives him a pointed look.

"_Never mind. What's important here is stopping them. I made a mistake and I can't fix it alone."_

"_Well, Lex,"_ Lois signed. _"Luckily we know their weakness. And we have a plan. And you might just be able to help."_

"_Anything. I never wanted this to happen. Zod played me for a fool."_

"_Okay, well, first things first, we need some paper. Can't leave Chloe out of the loop forever. And then I need you to start collecting the green meteorites."_

"_Green meteorites?"_

"_Just do it, cue ball. We've got super powered aliens trying to take over our planet. Time is of the essence."_

Lex simply nodded and set off in search of paper and green meteor rocks. Lois turned to Chloe. Chloe was still wearing an expression of disbelief.

"Years on military bases. You pick things up," she answered in halting Spanish. Luckily both cousins were well enough versed in the foreign language to converse.

"Do you think it's safe, to be talking? Even in Spanish? They learn really quickly."

"Well, we just have to hold out hope that they haven't caught on yet."

"Okay, so what's up with Lex?"

"He wants to help. Says he didn't mean for this to happen."

"More like he wanted to be in charge."

"Probably. Now, let's get going. We need to be able to help Kal and Kara if things fall through on their end."

Chloe nodded and moved off in the opposite direction of Lex, searching for kryptonite. Lois stayed put as her thoughts drifted to Clark, hoping he'd make it out alive.

**Luthor Mansion**

Kal and Kara landed in the woods. They moved slowly toward the back entrance they'd seen from the sky. Suddenly, Kal stopped and listened. Not with super hearing, just with his regular hearing. He didn't need his enhanced senses to know something was amiss.

"Kara," he hissed. She halted at the sound of his voice. She turned to face him, curiosity evident.

"Where are all the guards? They should have at least responded to us landing by now, he whispered.

"They know," she shrugged. "Doesn't change things. Let's go."

"Wait, but what about L – " A pointed look from Kara silences him. He understands her meaning. It's a suicide mission. They have to hope they'll be able to be enough of a distraction to allow Lois and Chloe a chance to defeat the army. His thoughts stray to Lois. Her bright smile, dark brown hair, her sparkly hazel eyes, her voice – her everything. He hopes she can find happiness after all this is over. And he hopes that even if he doesn't survive, that he can at least get the satisfaction of avenging the death of his parents.

They continue on, quickly reaching the back door. It is unlocked. They're met by the evil smile of Zod.

**Downtown Smallville**

The collection of kryptonite had begun to grow. Lois had been able to find a way to get a message out to the nearest Army base, Fort Ryan. She'd also picked up skills in Morse Code when she lived with the General. Backup was on its way. She'd been able to explain the situation and the need for tanks and live ammunition for after the Kryptonians had been exposed to the pieces of their home world. She also instructed for the soldiers to speak only in languages that weren't English, Spanish being the preferred language.

Walking out of the place she sent the message from, she found Chloe.

"30 minutes," she explained, once again in Spanish.

Chloe sighed and nodded, heading out to get more kryptonite. Her face was beginning to flush from all the activity. But Lois stopped her.

"Hey, take a break. I need you alert when the military gets here."

Chloe looked a question at her.

"I need to go to Lex's place and while I'm there you're in charge."

"No!"

"I have to. I have to see him. I have to help him. I don't know how yet but I can't stay here and wonder. I know Kara didn't plan on coming back, I could see it in her eyes. But he didn't know. He would've said goodbye."

Chloe understood. But she also knew the chances of her seeing her cousin again were slim to none. She threw her arms around Lois and hugged her fiercely.

"I love you. You are the best person that has ever existed. Never doubt that. Now, go. Say goodbye to him."

"I love you too cous," Lois smiled with tears in her eyes.

She reluctantly released Chloe from the hug and jumped in Lex's Porsche. Turning 180 degrees, she sped off, out of town and toward the love of her life, who just happened to be from another planet.

**Luthor Mansion**

"Kal-El," Zod said, genially, as he lead them toward the library. "How wonderful to see you again. And you Kara. It's been too long."

"I'm sure your last disagreement with my father had much to do with it. Or was it the second to last disagreement? As I am certain he disagreed with your choice to blow up our planet with him and my mother still on it."

"So, you know of that? Well, no matter. I had hoped you were there too but sadly, I was not informed of your current walk about. Tell me, do you find the humans inviting?"

"They are much better than you will ever be, Zod!" Kal said forcefully.

Zod just smiled at the outburst. He turned his attention to Kara.

"And you Kara Zor-El, do you not wish to be with your parents? They are still alive, I believe."

"It would not matter. I will never ally myself with you. You are a murderous leech who killed millions of Kryptionians for your own gain."

"This is true. However, they would have died eventually. The planet would have exploded in six cycles of Rao. Jor-El discovered that many cycles of Rao ago. The council kept him quiet though. It was however the subject of our final disagreement."

Zod paused and smiled at the two.

"I'm sure you're wondering why you're still alive. I would if I were you."

The cousins exchanged glances.

"I thought I would be able to persuade you to think differently. But your minds seemed closed, just as Jor-el's was, to new ideas. I knew it would not happen so easily. So I decided to circumvent the coup your little Earth friends have been plotting against our kind. They really should have stuck to conversing with their hands. Learning Spanish was much easier."

The cousins exchanged glances again, this time worry and confusion etched into their features.

"And I am just so fortunate to know one of your lovely Earth women will be joining us soon Kal-el. Under her own power of course. It will be such a treat for me to see you watch her die."

Kal growled.

"What makes you think I'd ever let you hurt her?"

"My armies have surrounded Smallville and are awaiting my command to strike. Your little green rocks cannot stop the entire cadre of soldiers I have even with their military friends joining them. And once they take out this little town, they'll begin taking down every city on this pathetic planet, one by one. But, as long as I get my way – and get to torture you at the same time – I'll leave the rest of the planet be and simply take Smallville as my new domain."

Kal's eyes begin to glow red. A jet of fire shoots from them in the direction of Zod. He easily side steps the beam.

"Careful Kal-El. I might be less gracious with my offer. Either the girl dies or everyone does."

This time Kal is moving, charging Zod, the pent up raging firing out of him like rocket boosters. But as he goes to hit Zod, the doors burst open and Lois is standing there. He forgets himself and stumbles forward crashing head first into the fireplace.

"Clark!" Lois yells.

"Clark?" Zod asks, with a smirk, as he appears next to Lois and grabs her by her hair. "What an offensively Earth-like name. Too bad it'll die with her."

Lois' eyes widened in fright. She knew this wouldn't be the easiest goodbye but she didn't expect it to come so quickly. Kal stood and faced Zod.

"Let her go," he ground out.

"I already explained to you Kal-el. It's her or everyone. You can't do both. Will you trade one life for the millions and billions on this planet? For love?"

"Yes," he replied, with his eyes glued to the floor. He didn't see the horror cross Lois' face as she realized exactly what he was saying.

"Ah, so we aren't so different after all," Zod said, with that ever present smirk still gracing his features.

"You misunderstand me. Yes, I will trade the life of one person for love. Just not hers," Kal explained as he lunged forward once again. One kick from Zod, however, sent him flying into the opposite wall. He fell down, hard. Lois had been released in Zod's momentary fit of anger that Kal-el was such a pure-hearted fool. Lois bent down and grabbed Clark's face and kissed him fully on the lips, sure that she'd never get the chance to again. Clark opened his eyes and deepened the kiss. His eyes fluttering closed again before she was ripped away from him. But even with Zod back in possession of her, she kept her eyes on Kal's.

"I love you Clark Kent. I love you so, so, so much. Whether you're the dorky farm boy I met or the intergalactic traveler that you are Kal-El. I love you forever. Please don't do this. I'll die for the world. But you're so much more. You can be so much more for this world. I'm just a human. I can't do anything but you can do everything. You can be someone. So, please live. Don't sacrifice yourself. Let him kill me."

"Lois, no!" he choked out.

Zod was smiling again. Enjoying this latest exchange.

"Now, I wasn't expecting her to volunteer for death. It takes some of the fun out of it. But the rest of that little rant puts more life back into it. Ah, love. Nothing like to death to separate one from its clutches."

Zod nodded to Faora who had been stationed, unseen in the corner of the room. She brought forth a sword. Zod extracted it from the scabbard and threw Lois to her knees.

"I'd say kneel before Zod but it would be rather redundant, don't you think?" he asked as he pulled back, ready to behead the girl.

Kal-el was almost frozen in fear. He couldn't let this happen. No matter what Lois said, he had to save her. He raised himself from the floor and with a burst of energy sped across the floor only to feel the blade pierce his gut and slide right through his back.

Clark gasped.

His eyes opened wide.

Everything around him was dark.


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Clark? What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"

Still panting heavily, Clark Kent looked over at his wife and breathed a sigh of relief. It was all just a dream. It was frightening how real it all seemed. The invasion. The meteors. His parents. The love he and Lois shared. Well, that part he could definitely believe, as he smiled what he hoped was a reassuring smile at her.

"Yeah Lo, I'm fine. I just had a really weird dream."

"Oh, yeah? Tell me about," she suggested, sitting up.

"Well, you were there. And so were my parents. My birth parents. I grew up on Krypton and then they sent me here. I met pretty much everyone who's been a big part of my life, my real life, and then Zod attacked the Earth. You and I fought to defend the Earth. Oh, and my parents sent me here so I could be with my soulmate. You."

"Sounds like quite the dream," Lois said with a small, sleepy smile.

"It was, until…well, until my worst nightmare came true."

"The one where I die and you're too slow to save me."

"No, the one where I die and I don't know what will become of you. I mean, I know you love me so much that if anything were to happen to me, you'd be devastated."

"Oh, really?" Lois asked with a teasing smirk on her face.

"Definitely," her husband replied with a huge grin.

"You know, just for that comment and for waking me up…I want you to go check on the kid."

"Lois, he's fine. He's sleeping," Clark replied, after tuning in his super hearing to their adopted son.

"Well, thanks for that. But what I really wanted was for you to get out of bed."

"Why?" Clark asked warily.

"Because, Smallville. Once you're up, you can get me a snack from the kitchen."

"You could have just asked for something, you know."

"Well, where's the fun in that? You'd rather we were just your average boring married couple?"

"Of course not."

"Good, now go get me a doughnut or something…Kal-El."


End file.
